Phase Behavior of Block Copolymer Nanocomposite Systems

TL;DR

This study uses cell dynamic simulations to explore how nanoparticles affect the phase behavior of block copolymer systems, revealing new phases and transitions depending on nanoparticle properties and affinities.

Contribution

It provides a quantitative mesoscopic analysis of nanoparticle effects on block copolymer morphology, identifying key parameters influencing phase behavior.

Findings

Nanoparticle affinity influences phase transitions.

Interface-compatible nanoparticles induce new phases.

Phase diagram constructed for various nanoparticle affinities.

Abstract

Nanocomposite materials made of block copolymer and nanoparticles display properties which can be different from the purely polymeric matrix. The resulting material is a crossover of the original properties of the block copolymer and the presence of the assembled nanoparticles. We propose a mesoscopic study via cell dynamic simulations to quantitatively assert the properties of such hybrid materials. The most relevant parameters are identified to be the fraction of nanoparticles in the system and its chemical affinity, while the nanoparticle size with respect to the block copolymer length scales plays a role in the assembly. The morphological phase diagram of the block copolymer is constructed for nanoparticles with chemical affinity ranging from A-compatible to B-compatible for a symmetric A-B diblock copolymer. Block-compatible nanoparticles is found to induce a phase transition due to changes in the effective concentration of the hosting phase, while interface-compatible particles induces the appearance of two new phases due to the saturation of the diblock copolymer interface.